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Canada’s Mayors Speak: A Survey of 105 Mayors

In January 2018, urban mayors across Canada participated in a survey administered by Public Square Research in partnership with the Mayors Project. Canada’s mayors were asked about their backgrounds, their jobs, and the issues facing their communities today.

No surprise: our mayors had lots to say!

Some highlights from the survey include …
• Canada’s mayors tend to be older, whiter, more male and more educated than Canada’s population
• The most common path to leadership involves serving on local council, and having previous private sector experience
• Most Canadian urban mayors define their role as being a “facilitator” and indicate that managing competing interests is the chief challenge of the role
• Economic development, a lack of support from other governments, and decaying infrastructure emerge as the top issues facing Canadian communities